Mark and I live a mile from a naval station. There are so many wonderful things that come with living this close. Mark doesn’t have to travel far to work. There is a beautiful beach just minutes away. We have access to the navy exchange and commissary, including gas pumps!

But my favorite thing about living this close is that there are two things that happen every single day…without fail, regardless of the day of the week, holidays are not exempt. Morning colors and evening colors happen every single day. Five minutes before the National Anthem in the morning and evening colors at night, a little melody calls attention to what is about to happen. And I can hear the melodies wafting through the air each time.

So, at 8:00 am every morning, the National Anthem plays. I can be drinking coffee, unloading the dishwasher, working at my computer, or standing on the balcony watching the world wake up. But when those familiar first notes begin, for a moment, whatever I am doing seems a little less important.

Some days however, instead of that familiar melody sweeping my direction, several speakers are just enough out of sync that the National Anthem becomes an almost unrecognizable jumble. But I still know what the song is. Why? Because…

I know the melody.

Boy, can we think about this idea in several areas of our lives. Each day we’re surrounded by voices telling us what America means, what the Constitution means, what freedom means, what our founders intended. Some voices are accurate. Some are distorted. Some are simply louder. If we don’t know the underlying principles ourselves, we’re left trying to determine the melody from the noise.

And when it comes to our spiritual journey, well it becomes a matter of life after death. There are thousands of Christian denominations and traditions throughout our world. That alone should remind us how many different voices are telling us what Christianity means. And each comes with its own understanding of what Scripture teaches.

So how can we sift through all the distortion and jumble? We study God’s Word. Period. God’s Word is our final authority for faith and life. If you are willing to spend an hour 2-3 times a week on physical activity, shouldn’t you spend at least that much time studying God’s Word? If you watch television 10 hours a week, do you think God deserves less?

We’re surrounded by voices telling us what God said, what Jesus meant, what Christianity should look like, what this verse supposedly promises. Sometimes there’s enough truth in it to sound familiar—but the timing is off. A note has been changed. Something has been removed from its context.

If I know only what someone told me the Bible says, I may not recognize the distortion.

But if I’ve spent years reading it, studying it, writing it, hearing it and hiding it in my heart…

I know the melody.

Friend, we must not become so complacent in our walk with Jesus that we believe we’ve reached spiritual maturity. I have been a student of God’s Word for over 50 years and I still find nuggets of truth and joy when I dig into Scripture. That is the exciting part of my faith walk…God’s Word is living and active! (Hebrews 4:12) There is dynamic power in God’s Word. It is a weapon for every spiritual battle. It will cut through every lie and will judge me so that I might become more like Jesus each day.

Today, let’s spend a little more time in God’s Word. And here are two important verses to consider memorizing (if you haven’t already). “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 – NIV) “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” (John 10:27 – NIV)

And maybe consider a few questions. Have we heard the National Anthem so many times that we’ve stopped listening to it? Have we truly come to an understanding of the principles America was built upon? But most importantly, what is your relationship with Jesus like?

I pray that you and I can sing these glorious tunes together…

I know the melody!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna